Payment processing built for small businesses in the US and Canada
Clearo builds your payment setup around how your business actually operates, not around a preset package: interchange-plus pricing you can check line by line, no long-term contract, and a dedicated rep you can reach when something matters.
Short answer
Payment processing is how a card payment gets from your customer's bank to yours: the card's issuing bank approves the sale, then the money is cleared and settled into your account. Clearo provides it for US and Canadian businesses on interchange-plus pricing, with no long-term contract, no cancellation fees and a dedicated rep for every client.
How does payment processing work?
A card payment moves in three stages, which the Federal Reserve's reports on debit card costs call authorization, clearing and settlement (Federal Reserve):
- Authorization: the card details go through your processor and the card network to the bank that issued the card, which approves or declines the sale while your customer waits.
- Clearing: your approved sales go out in a batch, and the networks pass each one to the right issuing bank.
- Settlement: the money moves from the issuing banks to your acquiring bank, which deposits it in your business account.
Clearo offers same-day or next-day funding options for that last step. Our guides to batch settlement and what a payment processor does follow a sale through each stage.
Why businesses switch to Clearo
Every card sale carries interchange, a fee the card networks set that goes to the bank behind your customer's card. Mastercard says acquirers generally pay its interchange rates to card issuers (Mastercard), and Visa says merchants pay a "merchant discount" to their own financial institution rather than paying interchange directly (Visa). A flat rate folds all of it into one rate, so you can't see how much of that rate is the processor's markup.
Interchange-plus pricing works differently. Interchange and network fees pass through at cost, and Clearo's markup sits on top as its own line. Washington State's Attorney General explains the model the same way: the provider passes along what it is charged and adds a flat-fee markup (Washington State Attorney General). No bundled tiers, and no qualified or non-qualified buckets.
Based on its client records, Clearo says businesses moving from flat-rate pricing have saved 20 to 50% on processing costs. Your result depends on your card mix, average ticket and volume, and a free statement review shows it.
What's included
Transparent interchange-plus pricing
Interchange, network fees and our markup each get their own line on your statement. When a rate changes, you can see which part moved, and your rep can walk you through it.
Every way you take payments
POS terminals at the counter, online payments on your website, a virtual terminal for phone orders and invoices, mobile payments in the field, and ACH for bank-to-bank payments, all from one provider.
Fraud screening and PCI compliance support
Online payments include fraud screening with AVS, CVV checks and velocity rules. Clearo also provides chargeback management tools and PCI compliance support.
Same-day or next-day funding
Ask about same-day or next-day funding options when you set up your account, so deposits land on a schedule that suits your cash flow.
A dedicated rep
Every client has a dedicated rep: one person who knows your account and answers your questions about pricing, deposits and statements.
How pricing compares
Processors price card payments in one of three common ways: flat-rate, tiered, or interchange-plus.
Flat-rate charges one percentage, often plus a fixed fee, on every sale, whatever card the customer uses. It's easy to read, but you can't tell how much of the rate is interchange and how much is markup.
Tiered sorts sales into qualified, mid-qualified and non-qualified buckets, and the processor decides which bucket each sale lands in. Washington State's Attorney General says those labels on a statement mean you're on a tiered plan.
Interchange-plus passes interchange and network fees through at cost and adds a set markup. It's the easiest model to audit, and depending on your volume and card mix it can cost less than a flat rate.
Clearo uses interchange-plus, and we'll quote your markup before you commit. Request a free statement review to get started, or compare a quote you already have with our flat rate vs interchange-plus calculator.
Want to see the numbers for your business?
Book a call, or send a recent statement for a free review. We'll go through what you pay now, line by line, and what the same volume would cost on our pricing. Ask about surcharging too, if you'd like customers who pay by credit card to cover part of the cost where the rules allow it.
Payment processing FAQ
Interchange-plus pricing passes the card networks' interchange and network fees through at cost and adds the processor's markup as its own line. Unlike a flat rate, it shows what each sale actually cost, so you can check every part of the bill.
It can, depending on your volume and card mix. Based on its client records, Clearo says businesses moving from flat-rate pricing have saved 20 to 50% on processing costs. Your result depends on your card mix, average ticket and volume, and a free statement review shows what your own numbers would look like.
Yes. Clearo offers POS terminals for in-person sales, online payments with hosted checkout or gateway integration, a virtual terminal for phone orders and invoices, mobile payments with tap to pay and mobile card readers, and ACH payment processing.
No. Clearo doesn't require a long-term contract, and there's no cancellation fee if you decide to leave.
Clearo says setup takes under 48 hours. Your dedicated rep is the person to call with questions while your account is being set up.
Sources
The Federal Reserve, Visa, Mastercard and Washington State Attorney General pages behind the facts on this page, checked in October 2026.
- 2023 Interchange Fee Revenue, Covered Issuer Costs, and Covered Issuer and Merchant Fraud Losses Related to Debit Card Transactions (Federal Reserve) (federalreserve.gov)
- Mastercard Interchange Fees and Rates Explained (mastercard.com)
- Credit Card Processing Fees & Interchange Rates (Visa) (usa.visa.com)
- Biz Tip: Cut credit card processing fees with 'interchange plus' (Washington State Attorney General) (atg.wa.gov)
See how we compare
Side-by-side comparisons that link each company's own pricing page.
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Related Services
Everything you need to accept payments and reduce costs.
Merchant Services
Full merchant services stack for small business
Credit Card Processing Fees
Understand fees and lower your effective rate
POS Terminals
Countertop, wireless, and portable terminals
Online Payments
Secure website checkout and payment gateway
Mobile Payments
Accept payments from phone or tablet
Virtual Terminal
Phone and remote payment processing
ACH Payment Processing
Bank-to-bank payments for invoices and B2B
Chargeback Management
Tools and a rep to keep disputes in check
PCI Compliance
Support for keeping card data secure
Surcharging Program
Pass processing costs to credit card users
Pricing
See our interchange-plus rates and how we compare
Other industries we serve
Clearo works with businesses across the US and Canada. Find your industry below.
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Let's talk about your payments
Tell us a bit about your business and how you currently take payments. A Clearo rep will reach out within one business day with a personalized recommendation. No generic pitch, no pressure.
If we can save you money and improve your setup, we'll show you exactly how. If we can't, we'll tell you that too.
Ready to save on processing?
Fill out a quick form and a Clearo rep will reach out within one business day with a personalized recommendation.
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